Leaves From The Vine
by Viva-taquitos
Summary: Leaves from the vine drift off slowly. The end of a life approaches. (Slightly AU)


_Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. I was inspired._

_A/N: If Kadaj was somehow not assisted by Aerith into the Lifestream, and instead was caught in the explosion, what would happen?_

_Why? _

_Why do I exist?_

When the air leaves the lungs, threatening never to return, one thinks "Why?" And yet, with each laborious breath, air comes, but then leaves. And it comes, and it leaves…and it comes…

He got the images of leaves on a vine – falling slowly, softly. Each passing wind, each gentle gust, took one more piece of foliage away. Winter was coming. And endless sleep would soon envelope his senses, just like the leaves on the vine.

Him, or the leaves? All of the leaves were pretty. They were the prettiest living things he'd ever seen. In a world of darkness, silver linings, and endless voices, the delicate colors of the leaves brought some sort of peace. They were _so_ pretty.

"I think he's one of _them_, sir. Just look at him…"

No, he is not a leaf. If he was, he'd certainly give way to the wind by now.

"It doesn't matter who he is. He's in bad shape. We gotta take him."

Now something was pulling him – or rather, being pulled off him. Thick, heavy cloth was cut away with professional practice. All that was left was the _inside_ flesh, and suddenly he wished he was hanging off a branch in a forest…

Not for long, though. With a _pop, _delicate flesh began to sizzle and spluce off – in sheathes, it felt like. His body twisted while his mind screamed _just_ _let me out of here_ but not a sound escaped his lips.

"Knock 'em out," was the gruff command.

The last leaf clung to the tree.

The first thing he noticed, upon consciousness, was emptiness. There was nothing but dead air and space between his breathing and thoughts. There was usually a _presence_ that reminded him he existed, and yet it was absent.

_I think, therefore I am. I am thinking, but I don't know if I am. _

He waited for the answer, the supple response to his rhetoric, and found none. Just himself. Just his thoughts.

There was another sound, though. A steady _beep_ indicated he was in unfamiliar territory. A sense of sterility assaulted his nostrils. Restraints on his body – _was it truly his body?_ – kept him from examining his surroundings.

Then there were footsteps, and a door opened, and the footsteps got louder. They stopped right before him.

"Do you suppose the other two are out there?"

"If they are, they are worse off than him. I don't think anyone could have survived that explosion."

Pause.

"This one probably won't live very long, let alone walk again."

Pause.

"He has no family, no contacts. It might be better off if he dies."

Pause.

"Get the ones who were with him last. They may have information."

The footsteps padded away, and he was left wondering what a family was, and if he was the one who lacked one.

Two auras were staring at him – he could tell that much. He just didn't know why.

For the first time, he allowed his eyelids to ease open. Nothing but stark light found him.

That seemed to be enough for one of the two, however. He felt the presence shift closer and say, "I can't believe you're alive, after all that you've been through."

His eyes tried to focus in the direction of the voice. He wanted to ask, "What have I been through?" but something thick and heavy blocked out the sound.

"Your brothers are dead," said the presence again. Sadness emanated in his voice, but it was misplaced – not for him, anyway. "Your brothers are dead, but they're wondering if there are more of you. You must know if they're out there. Are they out there?"

"Don't," said the second aura. A female. "He can't even answer you."

Second passed and he assumed the two were done. But again, the first one started, "I didn't realized how far you'd gotten until I saw you change. You just…pulled a fast one. I mean, I knew it was possible, but facing it was…different.

"You're not him, are you?"

Who?

"He took your body, and I was there, but you are _not him_."

_I don't even know who I am._

"I can't hate you, Kadaj. I feel like, after everything you've done to the city, to those kids, and to Denzel…even after all that. I can't hate you. I _pity_ you." There was a hand on his forehead. "We were both puppets, and I can't bring myself to hate you."

_Kadaj. You know, it means 'imperfect' or 'incomplete.' _

"You're dying and I can't hate you."

_It could also be a prayer that someone says when a loved one dies._

"I don't think I can forgive you, but I don't hate you."

_What do you think it means?_

The season drifted away, taking the last of the foliage with it.

_Leaves from the vine_

_Falling so slow_

_Like fragile, tiny shells_

_Drifting in the foam_

_Little soldier boy_

_Come marching home_

_Brave solider boy_

_Comes marching home_

_Disclaimer, Part 2: "Leaves from the Vine" is courtesy of the wonderful creators and writers of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Credit goes to them for that beautiful little song._

_Also, I looked up the meaning of 'Kadaj' on the Internet. Thank you, and FF7 Citadel._


End file.
